The Senate is being swamped by calls about Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Betsy DeVos seems to have hit a nerve. President Trump's education secretary nominee is one Republican vote away from being rejected for the job. The Senate successfully started the clock early Friday for an up-or-down vote late Monday or Tuesday, but already Vice President Mike Pence will have to show up to try to break what's currently a 50-50 tie, the first time a vice president has had to vote on a Cabinet nominee. The defection of Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) has sidelined the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who would have to leave the Senate if approved as attorney general, leaving Republicans one vote shy.

The calls have been pouring in to the Senate switchboard about DeVos, according to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) — though he doesn't say if they are for or against the nomination:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.